Tea shop owner’s son tops BHU exam

Arvind Kumar

Once again, a diligent young man has brought the proverb ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’ to life. We are talking about Arvind Kumar, son of a tea shop owner, now the MSc topper of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) with the highest percentage of marks in the Mathematics examination of 2012.

Arvind bagged the Chancellor’s medal and Maharaja Vibhuti Narain Singh Gold Medal on the 95th convocation ceremony of Banaras Hindu University. The spirited lad also ranked third in the all India ranking of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), NET examination in 2012.

In a candid chat with Tuulika Misra of shiksha.com, Arvind Kumar shares the truth about his journey and the secret behind his success.

My father has a small tea stall near my homein Deoria district. My mother is a house wife. Younger sister and brother are pursuing M.A. and B.Com, respectively. My mother has been instrumental in motivating me to study for a brighter tomorrow.

Yes, you are right. It happened a lot of times, as my father usually remained ill. But my mother inspired me all through. And I am lucky to have friends who helped me in all ways possible, even economically and encouraged me. In stressful times I usually like to talk with my friends and I always took the pressure created by the expectation of my friends and teachers positively, and worked towards it.

Yes, I have always worked, since the time I was in class X. I have been giving tuitions in the evening. I think everyone can manage time for what one wants in life. We always spoil a lot of time thinking inconsequential things and planning more about the future than working on the present. To achieve anything, it’s not necessary to work 24 hours a day. It’s the determination that matters not time.

My tip would be to not lose faith. Even if the path is tough and there are troubles in life, one should keep walking ahead. Hard work and undeterred faith is the key to success.

Actually the fact is that I never thought about one particular exam. I qualified for NBHM M.A./ M.Sc. scholarship, NBHM Ph.D. Scholarship also. I love to read books only, not notes.  My study time depends on the daily work like classes, tuition etc and I think everyone should decide on their own that how much time one should give to attain something. But we have to give our best and should not cheat ourselves.

I think there is no formulae for success other than hard work, self confidence and determination. One should make his own routine and strive towards achieving the best.

When I was in intermediate I was sure to stop my studies. In fact, for one year I stopped studying completely. So I never thought about the scope of engineering after intermediate. But as one year passed, my mother and a relative motivated me to study further. Thus, I joined a small degree college BRDPG College near my home. This is when my life took a turn. I met a great teacher in my college and I fell in love with mathematics and that is when I decided to do research in mathematics only.

As I have mentioned above, since the last 6 years there is only one thing in my mind and that is to do research in mathematics. I am pursuing research from Harish-Chandra Research Institute (Deportment of Atomic Energy).

I haven’t thought about it till now, I just want to be a mathematician and want to do something for BHU. As all the credit goes to BHU (helping teachers, a good library and all the facilities) for my success.

My mother and two of my teachers, one from BRDPG College and another teacher from BHU who helped, motivated and encouraged me are my inspiration. Hard work and undeterred faith is my success mantra.